Renaissance - A Shadowhunter Tale
by writing-foryou1564
Summary: Following Simon's Ascension and his return to New York, strange things began to happen all around him. Clary and Jace have been acting oddly for weeks, Emma is bring drawn away from the LA Institute, and Simon's pretty sure someone is running around LA with his face on. Was the Academy enough to prepare him for what's next?
1. Prologue

The Mark on Simon's chest seared red hot - sending shivers of pain through each of his limbs, making them jump slightly as if they had been electrocuted. He closed his eyes and breathed while his _parabatai_ rune flashed again - he wanted nothing but to latch on to Clary, to beat down whatever was hurting her, to stand by her side and fight until they'd beaten this foe… but if he was going to get the entire team out alive, he needed to be smart.

When Simon opened his eyes - everything seemed to be happening at once - silently and simultaneously. The portal was finally shifting open - just as the thundering above them began again. Simon's eyes latched on Isabelle's face, distorted and pleading, pulling on his hand in an attempt to get him through the portal. As his eyes met hers, another explosion of pain rocked his body, starting at the rune that meant the most to him.

When Simon ascended and became a Shadowhunter, he thought he had understood all the dangers, all the possibilities of death that his life would bring to him and the ones he loved. But when he was approached with the knowledge that he might lose _everybody_ he cared about if he didn't do this _one_ thing correctly, he couldn't help but blame Scarsbury and Loss for their lack of proper education.

His eyes focused again on Isabelle - she had one leg in the portal, her hands still wrapped tightly around Simon. The plan had been simple - while the other two played bait, Simon and Isabelle would go to the Clave for help - yet at the brink of freedom, on the edge of Idris, Simon was frozen.

"Simon!" Isabelle was screaming now, "we don't have time! Come on!"

Without warning, the pain in Simon's chest dulled, filling him with the sense that something had happened… something very, very, very _bad_ had happened. Without even a seconds thought, he sprang into action. He pulled his hand away from Isabelle, knocking her off her feet. He bodily shoved her into the portal - something he knew he wouldn't have been able to do if she hadn't been putting all of her weight into him.

Without waiting to watch the portal close, Simon turned on his heels and sprinted towards his _parabatai._

None of the characters included in this story are mine - they all belong to Cassandra Claire and the Mortal Instruments series. I am just borrowing them for a short while.


	2. Chapter 1 : Simon

Simon could feel his patience wearing thin. Lately, it had been difficult to keep his patience in check as he trained with his friends at the New York Institute.

"Consider it Shadowhunter puberty," Jace had said when Simon tried expressing his concerns to Clary. Clary and Simon had turned to Jace at the same time, both their faces displaying an obvious emotion; Clary's one of interest, Simon's one of unmasked and monstrous frustration.

"Well, it's true," Jace shrugged. He had been stretched out on the floor, but he chose that moment to hold his hands out to Clary, who, is if it were second nature, met his hands with her own and pulled him to a seated position before dropping down next to him.

"That's great, Jace, really great. Helpful - yeah, totally feel so much better. Definitely," Simon had started pacing, something he would not have been able to do gracefully before the ascension, "the thing is, I just don't remember asking you."

"Alright,, Hulk-Smash, calm down-" Jace had said loudly just as Clary had said something else. As usual, she was ignoring their idiocy, and as usual, they were both instantly attuned to her. "Hmm?" Jace asked, his eyes resting on her with a sort of dazed look.

"Does that happen? Human puberty and Shadowhunter puberty?"

"Only to the less beautiful of us."

"It didn't happen," Clary mused, "to me." A smirk formed on Clary's lips as she turned to Jace again, "How many times did you go through puberty?" Clary's eyes were fixed now on Jace, one of his hands in both of hers on her lap. .Simon had noticed that something had shifted between them. He hadn't been sure exactly what had shifted, but something had brought them closer together, if that were possible. No, not closer, exactly… it had just brought out something between them that Simon hadn't seen much of before. It wasn't that they were overly dependent, or, as his mother always said, co-dependent, but they were definitely not shy about expressing their preference for the other's company.

Simon had realized in that instant what they had become - they had, within the course of a few weeks, become vomit-inducing. Or maybe this was how they had always acted when they were in the training room, and now Simon was privy to that secret. But Simon doubted it.

"Lovelace. Come on," Jace slammed the palm of his hand against the table in front of Simon, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"This is so dumb." Simon shoved the book away from him and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. "If Shadowhunters are so smart and resourceful, why couldn't they create a rune that would make me know all the runes without studying them?"

Jace looked suddenly very put out. Simon realized that he might not be the only one dealing with a lack of patience lately.

"Let me ask you a question-"

"You mean - Mr. Herondale, Oh Mighty Keeper of All Knowledge Pertaining to the Shadowhunter world, may I please ask of you a question?"

Simon, despite the fact that he had spent most of his time the past few weeks training with Jace, had yet to develop the ability to be unphased by his ridiculous comments - something that, he noted, the others had already adapted to. Even Clary. This time, Simon was only silent for a few moments before quickly picking up where he had left off. "I want to know-"

"Ah," Jace leaned against the wall by the giant window in the library, his eyes flashing, "you must have forgotten how to address me. I'll repeat it again, for your benefit. Mr. Herondale, Oh Mighty-"

"I'm not calling you that."

"Then I'm afraid I can't answer your question." The blonde boy crossed his arms over his chest and raised a single eyebrow in Simon's direction. Simon was still unsure why this particular shadowhunter had been placed in charge of Simon's rune education. He'd learned plenty of runes at the Academy, but the Institute had very quickly informed him that even though his Academy days were over, he still had more than enough training to do. Jace was in charge of his rune education and his physical education. Isabelle had been named his weapons master - not that they got a lot done during her 'class time'. Clary, as his soon-to-be parabatai had become his fighting partner - but Simon also had it in confidence that Jace very much liked to watch Clary in action.

"Are you," Simon leaned forward, "flirting with me? If so, I happen to know of a dark-haired demi-goddess of a woman that would have you filleted instantly. And happily."

Jace opened his mouth - probably to say something about his own red-haired vixen and her temper - when the red-haired woman herself burst through the library double doors. Her hair was pulled up into a loose bun, it looked as though she was halfway in and out of gear: a mix of blacks and greens. Her eyes, as had become custom, skated across the library until they caught Jace's. Simon didn't have to turn his head to know that Jace had his own eyes locked on hers.

Vomit-inducing. What had happened? They had been such a normal, even inspiring couple only a few weeks ago. Simon remembered it like it was a few weeks ago… well, maybe because it was. But at Alec and Magnus' party for Max, Clary and Jace had been perfectly happy sitting across the room from each other, each of them engaged in activities that were completely and utterly separate.

But now, as it were, they seemed to be attached with invisible, disgusting, strings

"Robert wants to talk to you downstairs," she said. She looked at Jace as if she were trying to relay a message nonverbally. "I can take over here," her eyes finally caught sight of Simon and her face relaxed slightly, a hand raising in a half-wave, before turning her attention back to Jace. He nodded, and as if he had gotten her message, he touched her shoulder lightly.

Simon looked away. Even if they were sickening, he knew that there was a reason deeper than he could understand. He knew that they weren't putting their love on display for him… or at least, he hoped that they weren't. If they were, that would mean something entirely different. Even if Isabelle told him that he were loving her incorrectly, based on the standards that Clary and Jace had set, Simon would have to dismiss the notion as utterly idiotic.

Simon attempted to busy himself with the gray book, flipping to the next page and tracing the rune absentmindedly with his finger. Simon supposed that Clary and Jace were lucky. They didn't have to worry about the judgement that they might receive - or the mistrust that might be directed towards either of them. Simon had yet to even hold Isabelle's hand in front of her father, terrified that he would kick Simon out of the Institute and tell him to find another place to train. Simon thought back to the look on Mr. Lightwood's face when Magnus had kissed Alec in the kitchen one morning and cringed. Magnus was strong, but Simon felt that if Mr. Lightwood fixed Simon with that glare, he would probably melt into a puddle of who knows what, thus even further enraging him.

"Ready for tomorrow?" Clary asked. Simon looked up. Jace had disappeared, and Clary had taken a seat on the large table, a few seats away from him.

"I feel like we should be doing more preparation," Simon answered honestly. "I know the words, I know the rings, I know it all. But I feel like there should be more preparation. How to stand. Or how to look. I mean, when he says the words, do I look thoughtful? Appreciative? Like a big load has been taken off my shoulders? What look are you supposed to give the person who is tying you to your best friend for eternity?"

Clary laughed, but her thoughts were clearly elsewhere. "Hey, it's okay, Clary," Simon reached to touch her hand, "I understand if you-"

"Do you want to go for a walk?" Clary suddenly asked, fixing him with her full gaze and attention. There wasn't a moments hesitation in Simon as he closed the book and stood. Grateful not only for the break, but the time with his best friend.


	3. Chapter 2 : Emma

**Thank you for reading my story - this is my first one, so I hope it turns out okay! Don't forget to favorite and let me know what you think! I hope you like the chapter! 3**

The Los Angeles Institute was surprisingly cold today, though Emma wasn't sure if it's frigid temperature was related to the actual temperature of the building, or if her body had begun to match its internal temperature to her mood - which would make a bit more sense. At least it would make more sense than the actual building, during the summer months of Los Angeles, being cold.

Emma hung tomorrow's dress on the end of her bed, watching as it shimmered slightly in the light. It had been a gift from Clary, along with an invitation to be a witness at her parabatai ceremony. Emma had been shocked when she and Julian had received the matching invitations and the gifts from the New York Institute almost a month ago. Clary, of course, had excellent taste. She'd found a dress that seemed to compliment Emma's eyes perfectly. Simon, however, was a little lacking in the gift department.

He'd found a tie and matching socks for Julian. Of course, the tie and the matching socks are great gifts - and Simon clearly correctly assumed that Julian had a tux to go along with the gifts. However, one does not typically wear a mundane pop culture tie and matching socks to a formal event. The tie featured multiple cartoon characters with big eyes, none of which Emma or Julian had recognized. Ty, after doing a bit of research, had suggested that it was a character of Manga, another thing that none of them were familiar with.

However, now that Ty had discovered the stuff, he couldn't be pulled off of it. A new obsession that managed to make Julian uncomfortable, especially after an accidental run-in with a very inappropriate video.

The door opened behind her, and Emma heard footsteps cross to her - footsteps that she knew were Julian's. Since their own ceremony, things had seemed to change between them. Sure, she could have heard him walking, just based on his footsteps, before the ceremony. But now that they were parabatai, she felt complete when he was near, as though he was a missing piece that was putting itself into place whenever he neared her.

"I thought you'd be training," Julian said. He eyed the dress, something lighting in his eyes.

"I trained," Emma said, turning to him, "this morning." They typically tried to train together, actually, they had made it their goal to train together. If they were going to be fighting side by side for the rest of their lives, they needed to be strong together and know the others strengths and weaknesses, as if they didn't already have each other memorized.

The door opened behind them again. This time, it was Livvy who pushed her way through. Ty wasn't with her, which could be either a great sign, or a truly awful one. Either he was preoccupied with something healthy like Manga or reading, or he was stuck hanging upside down from one of the bars above the training room floor - which had happened much too much for Julian or Emma's liking. "I didn't wait, I'm meeting Cameron tonight-"

"Ohh!" Livvy clapped her hands and jumped on Emma's bed. Her eleven year old eyes were alight with excitement and something else that Emma couldn't quite place. Emma had suspected that Livvy was living vicariously through Emma's visits with Cameron. Though none of them had been romantic, Livia had informed Emma multiple times that, "You're going to date him! I just know it! I know it, Emma! You guys are so cute!". It was as endearing as it was annoying - to both Julian and Emma. "Has he asked you out yet!? Oh, you guys would be so wonderful-"

"Not yet," Emma smiled, interrupting Livvy before she began gushing again. "But I think he's getting close. He-"

"Ladies please, wait for me to leave before you start plotting to trap gentlemen with your lady charm," Julian looked at Emma for a long moment before shuddering slightly, as if imagining Livvy trying to charm a boy were terrifying. "I just wanted to make sure you were ready to go." Julian touched her arm, tracing words across her arm. The tie?

"You don't have a choice," Emma said out loud. "He put a lot of thought into that…"

"Are we," Julian's eyebrows lifted into his hair, "sure about that?" She knew that it was not probably going to take a lot of convincing to get him to wear the tie and the matching socks. They had asked Clary Fairchild and Simon Lovelace to be witnesses at their ceremony, and because they had asked them in return, it would probably be incredibly rude not to dress as they were asked to, despite the un-Shadowhunter-ness of the tie.

"Simon's still new, don't forget. And you know Clary wouldn't have let him send the tie if she didn't think that it wasn't appropriate-"

"Yeah, you're right." Julian looked at her for another long moment, before turning abruptly and holding his hand out to Livvy. "Don't stay out too late tonight, we're leaving early tomorrow."

There were few people in this small world that Emma genuinely liked hanging out with, at least voluntarily. Julian, naturally, was a wonderful companion, one that Emma didn't think she'd ever sacrifice for the world. His family was her family. When her parents were found dead, the Blackthorn's had taken her in and treated her as one of her own. She didn't know what the wait time was to adopt a new family, but Emma knew that they were hers.

Clary was also enjoyable. But after Clary, Emma's list began to fade into near nothingness. That was, until she had met Cameron.

Meeting Cameron had been an unexpected surprise during an otherwise spectacularly boring Thursday afternoon. Much of the elder Blackthorn family members had left earlier that day to attend a Council meeting at the New York Institute - leaving Emma behind. Her parents had refused to allow her to attend - should couldn't remember the exact reason, but at the time, she had thought it incredibly unfair.

She'd fought with her parents all that morning - claiming that if they weren't going to let her go with the Blackthorn's to New York, they should at least allow Emma to go to the Institute and wait until her friends had returned. That day, coincidentally, or perhaps not coincidentally at all, a new family to Los Angeles had been scheduled to tour the Institute. Though most Institutes were similar, to many, it was still important to tour and meet the inhabitants prior to studying there.

That was the day Emma had almost murdered Cameron Ashdown.

"What are you thinking about?" Cameron asked. He was seated next to Emma, his fingers wrapped loosely around a small cup of a mysterious pink liquid.

"How brave you are," Emma responded, nodding at his drink before sipping at her own now cooling coffee. Cameron snorted quietly, his green eyes gleaming, a look that Emma had become accustomed to. They'd been friends for over two years now, and though Emma still had a lot to learn, she felt as though she were learning to better understand the boy.

"It's really not that bad. I don't know why you won't try it-"

"Maybe because it's from a Vampire Cafe," Emma said under her breath. She shifted slightly, repositioning herself so her floppy sandals were flat on the stair beneath her. She'd worn them for Cameron to see - what use would they be if Cameron couldn't see them?

"They're just as likely to poison us as McDonald's," Cameron said. He raised his eyebrows as if challenging Emma to contradict him. They were sitting on what seemed to be an old stone stairwell. In the witchlight, the graffitti an almost violent color - as if they were trying to punch her in the eyes with their deepness.

When they'd come here for the first time, Emma had poured over the images on the walls. Jules would have loved to see them - a new form of art he had yet to engage in. He'd only started painting two years ago, but his creations had always been awe-inspiring.

She'd never brought him, Julian. The Bear Pit in the Old LA Zoo in Griffith Park was hers and Cameron's, only. It felt wrong to bring someone else to their secret midnight catch-up cave.

Her eyes were pulled to the images today, as if something in her mind were trying to memorize them for some reason. There were three separate images - one looking as though it had been there for a while, and the last one seemed to be newly added - its color was brighter, as though the artist had dipped their paint in sunshine before applying it to the rock. The first was an image of a man, dark in color with short, brown hair. His eyes were a combination of greens and browns - ordinary yet stunning. He was sporting a smile that seemed to stretch across his face. His cheeks, Emma noticed, had been rubbed away, as though visitors past had pinched them constantly.

Next to him was a girl, gorgeous and bright. Yellow hair wrapped around her torso and her feet, her eyes were open and facing the opposite direction of the first figure. She looked clear, as if she had never been touched, but had been used with dimmer paint. A blue dress flowed from her shoulders to her shoes.

The final image was the one that haunted Emma. He looked like the first figure, the man - but brighter. He was clearer, as if he had been painted yesterday. He was holding out one hand to the woman, who looked as though she were smiling at him. His eyes, instead of being the original's ordinary color, were a mix of blacks and reds. His lips, though separated in a smile, seemed much more violent and frightening than the other. In his hand, he held a knife decorated with a large flower on the point.

Emma didn't know what it meant. She couldn't extrapolate a meaning from from these images, but she knew that to somebody, they meant everything. She wanted to know their story. She imaged with Julian would say to her if he had drawn these… probably something about how each and every stroke of the hand holds a different story - how one can never be sure what the artist was thinking, because they never stop. The image, and the thought of Julian, brought on an emotion she couldn't… she hadn't ever experienced before. A mix of nerves, fear, and… guilt?

"Emma! Earth to Emma!" Cameron's hand flitted in front of Emma's eyes before grabbing at her upper arm and shaking her slightly. Her eyes refocused on his face, slightly confused, before she realized where she was.

"I'm sorry," Emma shook her head. He had her attention now - though her mind was still reeling, trying to make sense of what she had just experienced.

"Where were you?" he asked. His eyes looked soft, she noticed. Or maybe they didn't… Emma realized that, in that instant, Cameron was looking at her the way that Church looks at the food Julian leaves out for him.

Emma shook her head. "It's not important. I'm yours now." She positioned herself so that she was facing Cameron. Instead of removing his hand, Cameron let it slide down her arm to clutch at her hand.

She allowed her fingers to close around his. This wasn't the first time they had ever held each other's hand, but it was the first time that she could tell he was nervous. His palm, though typically slippery, was also wet. His fingers were twitching slightly.

"There's something I wanted to talk to you about," his thumb traced hers, pausing over the thin scar decorating the outside of her thumb, before restarting its course. It was silent between them, Cameron's eyes on their hands, Emma's eyes trying to focus on Cameron and only partially succeeding.

Julian would know what the images meant. He would be able to tell Emma the general idea of the figures, and why the artist might have felt why they were so important to put on this wall. Julian always knew. Julian-

Cameron must have said something, because Emma noticed that he was looking at her expectantly. His thumb had stopped and was pressing against her hand harder, a mix of calling for attention and sharing his frustration that she wasn't more involved in their conversation.

"Sorry?"

"I asked if you remembered the first time we'd… look," Cameron stopped abruptly and pulled his hand from Emma's. "Maybe we should talk about this later-"

"No! I'm sorry, I can do this! I was just… distracted," she finished lamely.

Cameron shook his head and stood up, brushing dust off his slacks before holding a hand out to Emma. "It's okay. It was a bad start anyway. Gives me another chance to perfect it." He grinned.

The cab ride home was silent. That was something Emma liked about Cameron. They didn't have to be comfortable with their silence in order to be silent. Emma, of course, loved the silence. Her mind was always filled with thoughts of what was happening in the Institute or when she'd hear from The Clave on the findings of the investigation regarding her parents. She had always known that Cameron hated the silence - he wanted nothing more than to fill it with random words. She could see him twitching out of the corner of her eye.

Cameron was dropped off first - because his family lived closer to the zoo. Emma was quite a bit more ways away, and the Taxi Driver said that he refused to make a round trip just because a set of teenage love-bats wanted to hang out in his back seat for a half hour. Emma had thought that was rude, and that he should watch his tongue, but instead she settled for, "We're not love-bats."

"Thanks," Emma passed a few bills across the seat to the man in the front. She had to tap him a few times on the shoulder before he realized that he was being paid.

"Holy…" he muttered. Emma didn't have to look at him to know what he was staring at. He was a Mundane, so of course he wouldn't see beyond the glamour of the Los Angeles Institute. She was sure, though, that if he could see the sky-high spires and the giant wooden double doors, he would still be staring unabashedly. As it were, he was looking at utter chaos. A dump of burned wood, rusted metal, and spare pieces of things.

"You sure you want to me to drop ya here?" his eyes were still on the space where her Institute was hidden.

"Yep," Emma moved to get out when the taxi driver grabbed her wrist. She spun around, her hair hitting her now hardened face before falling around her. Emma's eyes flashed, her hand flying to her bag where she had stored a seraph.

"I just…" his eyes flickered from Emma to the Institute to the clock on the dash which now read after midnight. She could practically see what he was about to say etched across his face in giant, red letters. I've got a kid at home. I wouldn't want her in this place… you're sure there's no where else I could take you? Instead, he said, "Where are your parents? Maybe we should-"

Emma twisted her arm out of the man's grasp and flung open the door with her foot. "My parents are dead," she hissed, "and I don't need another one". She didn't bother to look back at the taxi before she took off running past the institute.

Before the taxi ride, Emma had wanted nothing but to go back to the Institute. She wanted to stare at her dress for a while, think about what Cameron was going to say to her, and think about what the images on the wall in the bear pit might have meant, before allowing herself to fall in a sleep in preparation for the ceremony tomorrow.

Now all she wanted to do was run. She wanted to get away from everything - from the memories, from the fear, the guilt, the loneliness.

The taxi driver hadn't said anything wrong - he was a stranger lookin out for a kid he was driving to what he felt like was an unsafe place. He was just doing his job, and would probably have been hailed a hero in any normal family.

But that was just it… Her family wasn't a normal family. There was no father to call her and ask if she knew what time it was and "by the Angel, Em, where could you be?" There was no mother to scold her when she walked through the door. There were no lectures, no groundings, no… anything.

Emma knew, even at a young age, that Shadowhunters didn't live to be incredibly old. Julian's mother had gone even before the attack - right after Tavvy was born. It wasn't even that Emma thought that she'd have her parents for forever. She just always thought that when her parents died… it would make sense. That she'd be able to live with the fact that her mother and father were heroes.

But that was it… they weren't. They didn't die as heroes. Nobody knows how they died - and laying their deaths at Sebastian's door felt like a slap in the face, not only for Emma, but for her parents. Emma thought… no, Emma know that The Clave was wrong. Sebastian didn't murder her parents. Emma had seen Valentine's son once, but in those seconds that their eyes met, she had known that he was not the type of murderer to take time to carve mysterious, unknown runes into dead flesh.

Emma didn't realize that she was still running until sand filled her floppy shoes. Emma let herself drop into the sand and tore them off. "Who likes these anyway?" she hissed, tossing the dreadful shoes down the beach. Someone would find them in the morning and take them. Emma pulled herself to her feet and walked to the waves, allowing the water to spill forward over her feet and ankles. She stopped, feeling the wind to rustle her dress, and billow her hair out behind her.

It was ironic… This where they'd found her parents, but it was the most peaceful place in Los Angeles.

She felt her phone buzz once in her pocket - she didn't need to look at it to know that it was Cameron, making sure she'd gotten home okay. He could wait a few moments. Emma closed her eyes and tilted her head back, letting the wind pick up more than her hair. Everything could wait. Everything could wait until she was ready. It could wait until she had built herself back up, could wait until she was ready to fight it, could wait… as long as she needed.

"Emma."

She whirled, her knees dropping into a half crouch, her hand flying back to her bag, this time gripping the seraph tightly, not willing to take chances.

"Emma," the voice said again. They were saying her name like a whisper.

"Show yourself," Emma commanded, surprised that her voice wasn't shaking. "Who are you?"

"You don't recognize me?" a figure appeared in the dark before her, as though he had just arrived on the beach. It walked a few more steps toward her and put its hands in the air. "I'm friendly, Emma, come on." He stepped closer, and Emma crouched lower and lower… until a familiar shock of blond hair entered into the light.

"Cam?" she asked, incredulously, too shocked to drop out of her crouch. He stepped closer, a hand still out. He was the same Cam she had seen only moments ago, except he was wearing a different shirt. "When did you change?"

"A bit ago," he shrugged and fingered the material. "I liked this one better."

"Why are you here?" she asked, finally dropping her stance. She straightened up and released her grip on the seraph. "I thought you went home."

He stepped forward wordlessly until he was directly in front of her. His eyebrows crinkled as he looked down at her. His hand, without waiting to see how she'd respond, shot up to cup her cheek gently and rub her tears away with a thumb. She closed her eyes and leaned into his hand.

"What happened?"

Emma pressed her lips together for a moment. "Nothing. A poorly placed question. I overreacted."

"I'm sure you didn't." Cameron pulled his hand back and grinned. He looked past her and pulled his hands into hers, his fingers firm, his palm cold. Emma glanced at him, surprised at his confidence. "Whatever brought this response, whoever, will be dealt with."

Emma nodded and squeezed his hand.

"You sure you're okay?" he asked a moment later. Emma nodded and tried to smile.

"Really, I'm fine. I'm okay. I just need, sleep, I guess." She looked back toward where the Institute was and wondered if Julian could see them where they were. A flash of heat spread up her cheeks, wondering what he was thinking if he was watching their discussion on the beach.

"Come on," Cameron said softly, a grin in his voice, "I need to show you something." He squeezed her hand and started walking toward the water, turning to tug her gently behind him.

"What is it?" Emma asked, taking a few brief steps. The moonlight off the water made the scars on Cameron glimmer, made his eyes shine black.

"Come see," he said again. He pulled her further toward the beach until they were in the water. First the water rushed over her toes, then her ankles. "Cam?" But he didn't say anything, he just kept walking. Emma felt a whisper of worry ease into her chest when the water reached her knees, then began reaching for her thighs. The waves were getting stronger, as if they sensed that she was there.

"Cameron, seriously, maybe we should…" She looked up and his eyes met hers. They flashed with something Emma didn't recognize… but then suddenly it all made sense. He made sense. Of course he had something to show her, and it was under the waves. She just needed to walk further. Just needed to follow him into the water. Of course…

Emma took another step forward, bracing herself against the next wave, continuing to follow him, not noticing when the water began hugging her hips.

Reminder: None of these characters are mine. I'm borrowing from Cassandra Claire.


	4. Chapter 3 : Jace

**Pre-Notes: This is my first story - I hope you like it!**

"This is not a situation we can take lightly," Robert Lightwood said slowly. He was leaning back against the old oak desk in Hodge's old study, his arms crossed over his chest. He looked too much like a Professor trying to seduce a failing student for Jace's liking.

The entire situation was definitely not helped by the two men flanking Robert's sides, their eyes either locked on the back of Robert's head or on the notebook in their hands. His little Clave minions. Revolting.

"Is there any situation the Clave _does_ take lightly," Jace asked, his eyes rolling. He crossed his own arms over his chest, his frustration slowly rising. Whereas he had been on edge in the library, in this room, his anxiety was positively overflowing. "I'm not asking you to burn a city to the ground, Robert. I'm asking for a little choice."

"You're asking to abandon an entire Institute. You're asking me if I would argue to The Clave, to the center of all things Nephilim, that you should have some _choice_ when it comes to training next gen Shadowhunters." Robert's tone was sharp, though Jace wasn't sure whether the sharp tone was for him or for his servant boys.

"I think they should be trained! And yes, I do also agree that I would be the best one for the job. I am the best, the smartest, the fastest… that's not a mystery. What is a mystery, Robert Lightwood," Jace took a step forward, his eyes flashing, "is why this one request is equivalent to the end of the world."

Robert threw his hands up and pushed himself off the desk. He turned, and Jace knew that he was giving his followers a look of frustration.

"Jace, you know as well as I that we can not simply transfer a member of an Institute because you'd be happier." A hint of humor pushed itself into Robert's voice, producing a small laugh with his next words. "That's just not how the Clave works."

"Married couples are transferred together!" Jace's words came out warbled, as if his teeth were pressed together. He threw a hand into the air and pointed at Robert, "You were transferred with Maryse! How is that-"

"Yes! Jace! Married couples!" Jace could see the vein in Robert's neck begin to grow, almost ripe enough to pop. If he hadn't been so frustrated himself, Jace probably would have laughed. "You and Clary are not yet married-"

"And who's to say that we won't be within the year!? What will happen if you split us up, Robert? We are… We are…" Jace trained off, his words getting lost in his throat. What were they?

"Do you plan on proposing this week, Jace Herondale? Was your plan to propose today? Or have you and Clary not reached that part of the relationship yet? I don't think-"

"He's got a point, boss."

Every set of eyes dashed to look at the blond servant boy, who instantly flushed under the gaze of the room.

"Explain." Robert tightly gestured toward the man who looked taken aback, as if he hadn't even planned on speaking. "Dammit Marcus, I don't have all day. Explain."

"Well," Marcus paused to clear his throat once. Twice. A third time. "It's just… I guess I wouldn't be too happy either if the Clave tried to take me from my girlfriend."

"Girlfriend. Thank you, Marcus. Girlfriend, Jace. Did you hear that? Girlfriend. The Clave doesn't care who your latest girlfriend is. The Clave has more important things on their mind, like perhaps, oh… I don't know, the training of an entire new generation of Nephilim? But you want to be with your…" Robert lifted his fingers to form air quotes, "girlfriend".

The room was silent. Nervous hands were wringing behind Robert. Frustrated breaths were coming from the elder Lightwood. A single eyebrow shot into Jace's hairline.

"Jace…" Robert took a step forward. Jace took a step back. They stared at each other for a long moment before Jace turned and headed to the door.

"Jace, that's not what I meant. I didn't-"

"No, I understand," Jace opened the door and turned to look at Robert. "You're absolutely right. It was ridiculous of me to think the Clave would ever consider flexibility. I guess I just hoped that you'd be on my side." The boy shrugged before stepping through the door, closing it tightly behind him.

Since Valentine and his literal demon spawn had stopped trying to kill everybody, Jace's ceiling had slowly grown more and more beautiful. There were many things Jace loved about Clary, but one these was her inherent knowledge of when things needed to change. She'd noticed that he spent many of frustrated 'fits' staring at the ceiling above his bed, and she'd taken it upon herself to create a beautiful mural of colors and images.

He was looking at them now, his hands connecting behind his head, his legs crossed at the ankles.

What Robert couldn't seem to understand was that Clary wasn't _just_ a girlfriend to Jace, and Jace wasn't _just_ her boyfriend. They kept each other sane. Clary kept Jace from throwing himself through a window, and he kept Clary from clawing out eyes… though that was something he'd truly enjoy seeing.

What would we do in LA without Clary? Sure, they could easily function without each other. They were considered adults, as it were. They could take care of themselves, and they definitely were not attached at the hip… but that didn't mean that their relationship was inconsequential. What would happen if they were separated?

It also seemed incredibly unfair to bring Clary into this world, introduce her to her murderous father, kill her demon brother, attach her to her best friend forever, and then to just abandon her to find the rest of her own way. She'd have the others, but it wouldn't be the same.

His bedroom door creaked open, a sliver of bright light passing his face. Jace's eyes adjusted as the light passed through the room then disappeared again with the click of a lock. Almost immediately, the bed shifted.

Clary was sitting on the edge of the bed, her back to Jace. He heard the two thumps of her shoes hitting the floor and the squeak of the bed as she stood to shimmy out of her jeans.

"How was your walk?" Jace asked quietly, turning his head slightly to watch her.

"You're still awake?"

Jace didn't respond. He kept his eyes on Clary as she climbed back on the bed, having to stretch a bit to reach up to the higher bed. Once she had slipped under the covers, Jace pulled her closer.

"Simon is worried about tomorrow. I think he thinks he's going to do something wrong."

"Did you tell him he's already reached his fair share of wrong?" Jace shook his head, letting his fingers slip through Clary's hair. "The anime tie is going to be the laughing stock. Poor Julian."

"I thought it was a great idea," Clary argued. Jace could feel her own concern rolling over her skin. "Isn't the whole point of this accepting your best friend? What better way than with an anime tie?"

Jace felt a smirk slip across his face and leaned down to press his lips briefly against his girlfriend's. She was warm, her walk still fresh on her skin.

"How was your meeting" she said softly.

And… that was Jace's cue to go to sleep. Jace closed his eyes and allowed himself to begin slipping. Though sleeping with Clary was warm, her body temperature added to his wasn't always entirely comfortable, sleeping next to her made him feel safer, as if he could fall asleep easier.

"Sleeping is not an answer," Clary whispered.

"Tomorrow," Jace promised. He took a deep breath and settled back into the pillows, one arm still touching Clary's. He heard her shift, and felt the brightness of her phone screen against the backs of his eyelids before she changed the brightness.

Jace pressed his lips together and took a deep breath through his nose. He wanted to be angry, he wanted to be frustrated and he wanted to punch someone's face… but his will was suddenly ebbing as his consciousness floated behind his eyelids -

"What!?" Clary's voice broke through Jace's thoughts and he shot up, instantly awake. His eyes were on her rigid back. "What do you mean she's - Julian, slow. Slow down. Try again." There was a moment of silence on Clary's end.

Jace touched her back, but Clary pushed him off. "On our way." She threw the phone on the floor and jumped to her feet. "Get dressed. We're going to the LA Institute."

"Why?"

"Emma is gone."

 **Notes: I hope you liked it! Please don't foget to like and/or comment - I'd love to hear feedback so I can make this better!**


	5. Chapter 4: ClaryJulian

Everything seemed to be happening at once, even in the silence of the house. Jace had managed to somehow alert Isabelle and Simon, both of whom had come barrelling down the stairs moments later in full gear. Clary heard the Institute door bang open and knew that Alec and Magnus had arrived - though she couldn't remember Jace saying that he was going to summon them.

"What's the plan?" Isabelle asked, coming to a stop just before Clary. Her eyes were alive and wild - she lived for last minute missions. "When are we leaving?"

"As soon as Magnus can open a portal," Jace said, his eyes trained on the stairwell. Clary absentmindedly ran her hand across her waist, checking to make sure she had all of the required materials - her stele, a few blades, and a witchlight. Hopefully that would be all she would need - Julian didn't say anything about Greater Demons or other particularly ugly beasts.

"Why do we need them?" Isabelle rolled her eyes and jutted out a hip. "Can't Clary open portals with her weird rune magic?"

"It's not magic," Clary retorted halfheartedly. Her eyes were watching Simon who was pacing behind Isabelle. Occasionally, he would run his fingertips across her back as he passed, as if he were attempting to ground himself.

"Julian doesn't know where Emma went. We can't make any mistakes with this mission, and as of right now, Clary's ability is still uncontrollable." Jace met Clary's eyes for a beat. "Magnus is going to open the portal to LA for us. We will sort roles when we get there."

"Should we tell Robert?" Simon had stopped pacing and was looking at them. His typical demeanor had been replaced with that of a nervous child. "Just in case, you know, it's some kind of big huge thing that we're not sure how to fight. We might need backup. You know, someone to-"

"Simon," Jace dropped his hand on SImon's shoulder. "Does it look like I'll ever need backup?"

"No, but I haven't known you all that long-"

"We're not taking Robert," Jace dropped his hand and crossed to the stairs, where the other two men had finally appeared. "You brought Max?"

"Can't leave the monster at home, can we?" Magnus was cradling the tiny sleeping being in the nook of his left arm. "Even when he's sleeping, he's a bit much. Warlock baby," Magnus shrugged, "all that."

"I tried to hire a sitter, but Magnus isn't big on the idea of a near stranger watching Max for even a few moments, and I-"

"Yes, your very domestic life is adorable and enthralling. In the meantime, we have a kid to locate and a family to save, so if you'd be so kind as to let your nearly-but-not-ready-to-completely-commit-boyfriend open a portal for us, that'd be just _magical_."

Magnus eyed Jace, but didn't respond to the dig. "You'll have two hours before the portal closes completely. Try and get back before then, I really don't feel like wasting extra magic on a team of ungrateful Shadowhunters."

Clary anticipated a retort from Jace and quickly stepped between the two. She could feel her own nerves begin to rise, but whether that was because Simon had returned to pacing or if it was because she'd tried calling Julian again, but he hadn't responded, she wasn't sure. "Thank you, Magnus," she said firmly. She gave him a single nod, glanced at Jace, then glanced beyond him at her other friends. Finally, her eyes landed on Simon's, who stopped pacing and gave her his version of a 'I'm ready but also about to poop from nervousness' face.

Without another word, Clary turned from her family and stepped through the portal.

Julian could not remember a moment in time when his chest had ever felt this tight. He could breathe only in short gasps, his eyes only focused every few seconds, and he could only speak a few words at a time. His mind was swimming, turning over itself and grasping constantly at one thing… Emma.

When Clary and the others had arrived, he had been questioned extensively by Alec while the others looked. They went outside, looked in the house, used various runes to attempt to track her… Isabelle even walked all the way to the restaurant where she said she'd be eating. And yet, nothing.

"What do you feel?" Jace asked for the thirteenth time.

"Nothing." Julian shook his head. _Parabatai_ were connected in a way that no other two shadowhunters could ever be connected. Their link existed beyond a physical link, and connected their minds. Julian should have been able to feel Emma at the end of their bond. He should have been able to see her light like he had before… "Nothing," he repeated softly.

Jace's face set, and he cleared his throat, asking for Julian's attention. "You'd know," was all he said. And Julian understood. He'd know.

He'd know if Emma were no longer alive.

What would Julian do if they couldn't find Emma? None of their runes had worked to track her - even the ones that Julian had drawn, or that had been drawn on Julian. He could not focus on their connection, and they'd done _everything_ they could.

Julian hadn't felt Emma in hours - it was like someone had left a phone before hanging up. Nobody was there, but the connection was still alive.

"Jace, what if…. What if we can't find her? How do I-"

"WE FOUND HER!"

"EMMA!"

"JULIAN!" Livvy had reached the bottom of the stairs and was reaching for Julian, but he pushed past her, bounding up the stairs two at a time. He ran down the hall, towards the gasps and shouts for him and Jace.

"Guys, what the hell?" Emma was sitting up in bed, her blanket was pulled up to her chest and her hair was in disarray.

"Where have you been?" Jace demanded, appearing in the doorway behind Julian. "We've spent hours searching for you. Julian called us in a panic. I thought Clary was going to explode the entire Institute-"

"Next time, you should start by looking in my bedroom," she retorted. She rolled her eyes and glanced at Julian briefly.

"I'm just happy we found you," Clary said and touched Emma's hand. She glanced at Julian, almost as if gauging his reaction. When he made no move to go toward them or say anything, she turned to Isabelle.

Isabelle cleared her throat, "I think we should take them to Silent Brothers to be tested-"

"No." Emma's response was immediate.

"I dislike going to the Silent Brothers as much as you do," Clary said, "but something happened here tonight. We could _not_ find you, Emma. It was like you stopped existing."

"Well, I didn't. I was sleeping. I am not going there so they can tell you what I've already told you." Emma ran her hands through her hair and leaned back against her pillows. Julian noticed that she had been on the right side of the bed - the side of the bed that he would have usually occupied. His eyes narrowed slightly.

"She's fine," he finally said. "We're fine. I overreacted. I couldn't feel her, but now… we're okay." Julian's mind was swimming, his eyes were swimming, everything was swimming. He felt almost suspended in water, though he was standing firmly on the ground. His eyes finally met Emma's, and she grinned.

"They're going to stay the night anyway," Alec said, appearing in the doorway. "I've already asked Livia to prepare a room for them. Tomorrow, you'll go with them to the New York Institute for the _parabatai_ ceremony. When you return, someone will be here to make sure you're both protected. Clary is right, something happened tonight. And even if you do not want to go to The Clave, we need to be careful." He nodded.

"Thank you." Julian's eyes stayed firmly grounded on Emma as the others slowly filed from the room. Clary wrapped her arms around Emma, and Jace clapped Julian on the shoulder. When the door closed behind them, Julian went to the bed and sat beside her.

"I'm sorry I worried you," Emma said, folding herself against Julian. He slowly wrapped his arms around the girl. Though he could feel her against him, feel the warmth of her skin… he still felt empty.


End file.
